Chapter 256: Selling Teammates

"Who are you, daring to ruin Blackwind Fortress's business!" Gu Yueyi scrambled up from the ground, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. From their brief exchange, he knew the opponent's cultivation was far superior to his own. Thus, he could only invoke the name of Blackwind Fortress, hoping to intimidate them.

"Blackwind Fortress?" The red-haired man's eyes widened. He looked at his companions, bursting into laughter. "Did I hear that right? Did he just say Blackwind Fortress?"

The group roared with laughter, their eyes filled with mockery and pity.

Gu Yueyi secretly cursed, but he couldn't pinpoint the problem.

Zu An secretly shook his head. To pull off a honey trap this stupid, it was truly foolish.

The red-haired man was, of course, Chen Xuan, whom they had previously seen at the Immortal's Abode. He instinctively glanced at Qiu Honglei beside him. Although she appeared terrified, her eyes remained calm throughout.

Just then, Chen Xuan abruptly turned around and said coldly, "I've been wondering why Blackwind Fortress's reputation has been declining recently. So it's you fellows impersonating us and ruining our name."

Gu Yueyi's face changed drastically. "You... you are..."

The red-haired man declared proudly, "So you die knowing the truth: I am Chen Xuan of Blackwind Fortress!"

Gu Yueyi swallowed, instinctively glancing at Qiu Honglei. Qiu Honglei's delicate brows furrowed slightly as well. She clearly hadn't expected Chen Xuan to be so brazen, daring to enter the city openly and even show himself in public earlier.

"Brother, you must leave quickly," she transmitted secretly via spiritual energy.

"Ah, what about you?" Gu Yueyi hesitated, mainly because his junior sister was too beautiful. Leaving her there would be like leading a lamb to a tiger, and he would likely regret it for the rest of his life.

"I have my ways," Qiu Honglei replied quickly, urging him silently.

"Alright then!" Gu Yueyi gritted his teeth. After all, his own life was paramount. Moreover, this junior sister was too mysterious, always difficult to understand; perhaps she had some means of survival.

With his mind made up, he leaped to Zu An and his companion, holding his blade across them. "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill them with one strike!"

Zu An smiled faintly. "Brother, didn't you just say your name was also Chen Xuan? How is it a coincidence?"

"Shut up!" Gu Yueyi was both ashamed and furious.

Rage points from Gu Yueyi +345!

He hadn't expected this Chen Xuan to be so powerful. Legends said he was only a peak fifth-rank, but their brief exchange clearly showed him to be a sixth-rank!

Chen Xuan snorted coldly. "They're no kin of mine. You threaten me with them? Especially that Zu fellow. I'd love to flay him and eat his flesh. If you actually kill him, I'd only thank you."

Gu Yueyi glanced at Zu An, surprised that this guy had provoked so much hatred and gotten on Chen Xuan's bad side. It seemed he was doomed today. "Even if you hate this Zu fellow, what about Miss Qiu? She's the most beautiful courtesan in the Immortal's Abode. I don't believe you're not tempted."

Chen Xuan laughed. "You're right, this woman is indeed good. Just the right amount of alluring. I quite like her."

Hearing his vulgar assessment, Qiu Honglei was speechless.

Gu Yueyi's heart leaped with joy. "In that case, let us go, or I'll kill her!"

Chen Xuan's face darkened. "Go ask around. I, Chen, have always hated being threatened. Even if you kill her, it'll be useless. I'm not squeamish; at worst, I'll enjoy her while she's still warm. But afterwards, I'll skin you alive, piece by piece!"

Gu Yueyi: "..."Qiu Honglei: "..."

Zu An was also dumbfounded. *While she's still warm? Is this guy that perverted?*

Just then, Chen Xuan reached out and twisted his hand in the air. The blade in Gu Yueyi's hand instantly twisted several times, becoming like a pretzel.

"Metal element cultivator!" Zu An already had his assessment.

Gu Yueyi reacted quickly, grabbing his two companions nearby and throwing them at Chen Xuan. Then, without hesitation, he leaped into the nearby river. His toes barely touched the water, and he had already glided several yards away. Zu An nodded secretly, observing that this guy's movement technique was quite good. He could easily walk on water; he was indeed worthy of being a fifth-rank.

His two companions hadn't expected him to turn on his own. Startled and enraged, they frantically swung their weapons at Chen Xuan, trying to seize a chance to survive. To their surprise, Chen Xuan didn't dodge. Instead, he took a step forward, allowing their long blades to strike his body directly.

The two men's hearts initially leaped with joy, but their expressions immediately changed. The sound of their blades striking him wasn't the familiar one of cutting flesh, but rather the clash of metal on stone. They could even see sparks flying from their blades. However, that was the last thing they saw, as Chen Xuan's large hand, like an iron clamp, gripped their necks, twisted them, and then their two bodies crumpled to the ground.

Zu An's brows furrowed. In that instant, Chen Xuan's body seemed to emit a golden light, as if his entire form had turned into bronze skin and iron bones. He let the blades strike him, yet not a single mark was left.

"Invulnerable?" Zu An felt it was getting tricky. If the opponent truly was invulnerable to blades and spears, he would likely be at a considerable disadvantage in a fight.

On the other side, Chen Xuan didn't stop, swiftly chasing towards the water's edge, clearly not intending to let Gu Yueyi escape. At that moment, Qiu Honglei seemed to stand up inadvertently, blocking his path. Chen Xuan stopped, looking at her with a slight frown. Only when looking at her up close would one realize how captivating her peerless beauty was. For a moment, his tightly furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed.

Qiu Honglei curtsied. "I didn't expect Chief Chen to grace us with his presence. I apologize for any oversight at the Immortal's Abode, and I hope Chief won't take offense."

Seeing the formerly haughty courtesan bowing respectfully before him, her tone filled with humility and flattery, Chen Xuan felt comfortable all over.

"Haha, no offense taken by the ignorant, Miss Qiu, you're too polite." As he spoke, he reached out to help her up. Seeing her exquisite and graceful figure beneath the light veil, even Chen Xuan, accustomed to women, couldn't help but breathe faster.

"Thank you, Chief, for overlooking my small offense." Qiu Honglei subtly rose and stepped back, precisely avoiding his touch. "Honglei intends to prepare a banquet at the Immortal's Abode, and I hope Chief will honor us with his presence so I can properly apologize."

Chen Xuan chuckled. "We can talk about apologies later. Let me deal with this little bastard first."

"Who's the little bastard cursing?" Zu An suddenly asked.

"The little bastard's cursing you!" Chen Xuan replied instinctively.

Zu An smiled faintly. "Indeed, the little bastard is cursing me."

Chen Xuan: "..."

He finally realized what had happened and, infuriated, reached out to grab Zu An's neck. "You brat, you're asking for death!"

Rage points from Chen Xuan +444!

At this moment, Qiu Honglei quickly pulled Zu An behind her. "Chief Chen, this young master is my friend. I hope you will be generous and spare his life."

Zu An was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected her to speak up for him in this situation. *Didn't this woman just set up a honey trap to swindle me? Now she's saving me. What exactly does she want?*

Chen Xuan snorted coldly. "If it were anyone else, perhaps I might let them off for Miss Qiu's sake, but this fellow, I must kill him."

"Why? Just because I had a few words with you at the Immortal's Abode?" Zu An was curious. From the moment the other party knew his identity, he had been generating a significant amount of rage points, and Zu An had always wondered why.

"Why?" Chen Xuan's face was somewhat distorted. "Do you remember Mei Chaofeng from Silverhook Casino? He was my brother, whom I grew up with. A hero in his prime, yet he was killed by a little bastard like you."

Rage points from Chen Xuan +999!

Zu An suddenly understood. "So you're also from the Shi family!" At this moment, he finally understood. Since he and Mei Chaofeng were brothers, it was impossible for him not to know about Mei Chaofeng's involvement with the Shi family. It seemed the two brothers had been working for the Shi family, one from the inside, one from the outside, one openly, one secretly.

Chen Xuan licked his lips, a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "Too bad you found out too late. Today, I'll break every one of your bones and slice your flesh off piece by piece to avenge my poor brother!" He mused that since Qiu Honglei had heard this secret, she should, by rights, also be silenced. But she was too beautiful, and he couldn't bear to kill her. He decided he would capture her later and keep her confined in the fortress; then the secret wouldn't leak.

Zu An couldn't help but say, "Just talk normally. Why are you licking your lips at me? You're not a beautiful woman; it's quite disgusting to watch."

Chen Xuan: "..."

Rage points from Chen Xuan +666!

Qiu Honglei, standing by, also looked at him speechlessly. This guy's thought process was truly astonishing. At a time like this, he was still deliberately trying to provoke the other person?

"You bastard, you'll soon regret having a mouth!" Chen Xuan approached him with a grim face, his hands clenching audibly.

Qiu Honglei frowned and instinctively reached for the lantern hanging nearby. Just as her fair hand was about to touch the lantern, she suddenly pulled it back. Immediately after, a soft chuckle drifted over: "Handsome boy, who told you to come here in the middle of the night? You wouldn't even know if you were robbed and killed."

An incomparably graceful figure leaped onto the boat. Due to the impact of her landing, her chest swayed, causing all the men present to watch her movements. Although the person was masked, Zu An recognized her instantly as Pei Mianman. After all, such a voluptuous figure was simply too conspicuous.

After an initial moment of surprise, Chen Xuan quickly laughed. "Hahaha, my luck is truly good today. I've encountered two such alluring beauties at once. Now I can switch between them every day!" Even though she was masked, her beautiful eyes and exquisitely charming brows immediately revealed her to be a great beauty. Even if one were to take a step back, with such a top-tier figure, her looks were already irrelevant.

Hearing his words, Pei Mianman's expression turned cold. "Chen, you're quite bold."

Chen Xuan patted his lower abdomen. "Not only am I, Chen, bold, but another part of me is even bigger, you know!"

"You're asking for death!" Although Pei Mianman usually appeared charming and flirtatious, she was, at heart, still an innocent young woman. She couldn't tolerate such vulgar language. A wisp of black flame suddenly ignited and swept directly towards Chen Xuan.

Chen Xuan's expression changed. He clearly sensed the terrifying power within the black flame and dared not take it head-on with his body as he had before.

Seeing the two begin to fight, Qiu Honglei quickly said, "Thank you, brave lady, for saving our lives. Should fate permit, we will repay your kindness handsomely in the future." After saying that, she pulled Zu An directly into the nearby Bright Moon River and quickly swam away into the distance.

"That bitch!" Pei Mianman hadn't expected her to just leave. And not only leave, but take Zu An with her! Unfortunately, she was entangled with Chen Xuan at the moment and couldn't break free quickly, so she could only watch them depart.